...Rosehedge/Multifaith WorksI’ve worked with many organizations over the years, but for me, Rosehedge/Multifaith Works is the little engine that does. At several locations around Seattle, it provides housing and daily assistance to people with HIV or AIDS who also struggle with mental illness, substance dependency, or dementia. It’s a Seattle organization and focuses on the immediate community; that’s very important to me. I know that when I help out with Rosehedge/Multifaith Works, I will be able to see the difference created within my city. It takes excellent care of the Seattle inhabitants who desperately need the help but who often get overlooked by society. Rosehedge.org

…Caravaggio. I am amazed by the way the artist Michelangelo Caravaggio manipulates light and shadow, making his subjects stand out as if they were a 16th-century photograph in oil paints. He created great controversy by always giving his subjects, even the holiest of public figures, the grit of truth and reality. (Above, The Cardsharps, 1595) Caravaggio-Foundation.org

…forgotten LGBT literature. Many young LGBT folks may have heard of Breakfast at Tiffany’s because of its film version, but they don’t know gay author Truman Capote’s many other short stories, like “Miriam” with its creepy little girl, or that Tennessee Williams wrote short stories as well as plays, including “One Arm,” about a boxer turned hustler. People should discover the murderous plots in the novels of lesbian legend Patricia Highsmith (pictured above) (The Price of Salt, Strangers on a Train, the five Ripley books). There are many others, and they should not be forgotten. They are our legacy, and they have many stories to tell. LambdaLiterary.org